Safety belt fastening and quick-release device

ABSTRACT

A multiple safety belt fastening and quick release device includes a housing that may be configured to receive one or more safety belt buckles. Tongues of the safety belts may be secured in the housing by a locking mechanism of the device. Each secured safety belt tongue may be associated with a locking mechanism that operates independently of other present locking mechanisms. A release mechanism may simultaneously release all secured safety belts.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention generally relates to safety equipment. The present invention more specifically relates to a securing device for a multiple-belt safety harness that includes a quick-release mechanism.

2. Background Art

Many modes of transportation require securing passenger(s) in place in a vehicle to ensure the safety of the passenger(s). This is especially true when transport may be at high speed or over rough terrain. In such situations, a safety harness with multiple belts is often utilized. The most common multiple-belt safety harness configuration utilizes a five-point attachment.

The five-point safety harness typically includes a central buckle housing that receives five safety belts: a central base belt, two lap belts, and two shoulder belts. Each of the safety belts includes a buckle at a terminal end. The base belt is often designed to pass between the legs of the user. A terminal end of at least one of the belts may be permanently secured in the central buckle. The central buckle housing of the harness is aligned with the midsection of the user when the device is in use and secured.

To secure oneself in a current art safety harness, a user inserts the two lap belt fasteners and the two shoulder belt fasteners into the buckle, and then secures a locking device. While the securing process may be straightforward when a vehicle is at rest, securing all four free ends simultaneously can be difficult if not impossible when the vehicle is traveling at high speed and/or over rough terrain.

This shortcoming can be a major drawback in the prior art multiple-belt safety harness devices. Typically, all the belts inserted into the central buckle housing are locked in place by a single mechanism. A first belt may be locked in place, but the first belt must be released in order to secure a second belt. This can become an issue in instances in which immediate emergency egress from an area is required. The driver of the vehicle may be compelled to put the vehicle into motion before the other passengers are properly secured, and perhaps even before they have entered the vehicle. In such an instance, passengers are left to fumble with a multiple belt device in a vehicle that might be moving at high speed, possibly over rough terrain. Under these conditions, it can be very difficult to secure multiple belts. A passenger might secure a first belt, but then would have to unlock the first belt to attempt to lock a second belt. The motion of the vehicle can dislodge the first belt while it is unlocked in the attempt to secure the second belt. Under rough conditions, the passenger may not be able to re-secure either belt. The harness may therefore be rendered useless.

There is a need in the art for a multiple-belt safety harness device that includes independent locking mechanisms for each belt buckle.

SUMMARY OF THE CLAIMED INVENTION

An exemplary embodiment of the present invention is a safety belt fastening device with a quick-release mechanism. The device may receive one or more safety belt buckles. When multiple buckles are utilized in the device, each buckle may be locked in place regardless of the presence or absence of other buckles that may be used in the device. Actuation of a quick-release mechanism simultaneously releases all buckles secured in the housing.

The device includes a housing, a locking mechanism, and a release mechanism. The housing includes at least one tongue receiving channel that receives a tongue of a safety belt. The locking mechanism retains the tongue of the safety belt in the housing when the locking mechanism is in a secured position. The release mechanism moves the locking mechanism from the secured position to a released position when actuated by the quick-release lever.

At least one construction of the locking mechanism utilizes a spring device. The spring device includes a pair of spring arms that are spread by a tapered head of the tongue of a safety belt when the tongue is inserted into the associated tongue receiving channel. A restorative force created in the spread spring arms urges distal ends of the spring arms inward. When the tongue is fully inserted into the housing, locking tabs situated on the distal ends of the spring arms are received in notches in the tongue of the safety belt when the tongue of the safety belt is fully inserted into the tongue receiving slot.

The release mechanism may include a travel plate that functions in cooperation with a lift plate. Lateral motion of the travel plate raises the lift plate to release the locking mechanism. In at least one embodiment, the upward motion of the lift plate separate the spring arms of the locking mechanism, forcing the locking tabs out of the notches in the tongue of the safety belt.

The release mechanism may include a loaded leaf spring or another mechanism that applies pressure to the tongue of the safety belt when the tongue of the safety belt is fully inserted into the tongue receiving slot. When the release mechanism is actuated, the applied pressure ejects the tongue of the safety belt from the tongue receiving slot in the housing.

The release mechanism may be actuated by a quick-release lever mounted on an outer surface of the housing.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a multiple buckle embodiment of a safety belt fastening and quick-release device.

FIG. 2 is an exploded view of a single buckle embodiment of the device of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a top plan view of the single buckle embodiment of the device of FIG. 2.

FIG. 4 is a sectional view of the single buckle embodiment taken along line 4-4 in FIG. 3.

FIG. 5 is a top plan view of the single buckle embodiment with a top cover of the buckle housing partially broken to reveal the interior of the housing.

FIG. 6 is a side view of the buckle housing of FIG. 5 with the quick-release lever raised to a released position.

FIG. 7 is a top plan view of the device of FIG. 6 with the quick-release lever raised to a released position.

FIG. 8 is a sectional view of the single buckle embodiment taken along line 8-8 in FIG. 7.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Described herein is a safety belt fastening and quick-release device 100. The device 100 may be utilized in situations where multiple-belt passenger restraint systems are required. Examples of such situations include, but are not limited to, travel in aircraft, military vehicles, and emergency vehicles. The device may receive and secure multiple safety belts. Each safety belt may be secured regardless of whether any or all of the other belts are fastened. Additional belts may be fastened without releasing a previously secured belt.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a safety belt fastening and quick-release device 100. The device 100 includes a housing 110 with a quick-release lever 120 pivotally mounted on an upper surface 130 of the housing 110. The quick-release lever 120 rotates about a pivot axle 140. The ends of the pivot axle 140 may be contained within axle mounts 150. When actuated, the quick-release lever 120 may simultaneously release all safety belt buckle tongues 160 secured in the device 100. The quick-release lever 120 may be actuated with a single action, typically an upward pull.

As shown in FIG. 1, a five-point harness is secured by the safety belt fastening and quick-release device 100. Although not shown in FIG. 1, one or more of the belt segments in a multiple attachment configuration may be permanently affixed to the housing 110 of the device 100. While the device 100 may generally be used to secure multiple safety belts, FIGS. 2-8 show only a single belt being restrained by a releasable locking mechanism for ease of illustration.

FIG. 2 is an exploded view of a single buckle embodiment of the device of FIG. 1. A side wall of the housing 110 may include at least one buckle tongue receiving channel 202. Each receiving channel 202 may be configured to receive a buckle tongue 160 of a releasable safety belt. The buckle tongue 160 of the safety belt may include a tapered head 204 with a leading edge that is smaller in diameter than a midsection of the head 204. A pair of notches 214 may be situated behind the head 204 of the buckle tongue 160.

Each present tongue receiving channel 202 in FIG. 2 is associated with a locking mechanism configured to receive and secure one of the buckle tongues. The locking mechanism may include a spring device 208. The spring device 208 includes a pair of spring arms 206. The spring device may be affixed to a mounting base 230 to provide added stability. A locking tab 210, as illustrated in FIG. 2, is situated at a distal end of each spring arm 206.

An ejecting mechanism is included in the device 100. The ejecting mechanism illustrated in FIG. 2 is a leaf spring 212 situated at an inner end of the spring device 208. The ejecting mechanism is constructed so as to come under a loading force when a buckle tongue 160 is inserted into a tongue receiving slot 202. The ejecting mechanism provides a force that if unopposed pushes the buckle tongue 160 out of the housing 110.

A release mechanism may also be situated in the interior of the housing 110. The release mechanism may include a lift plate 216 and a travel plate 218. The travel plate 218 may have a width less than that of the housing 110 so that the travel plate 218 may move from side to side within the housing 110. The width of the lift plate 216 may be substantially equal to that of the housing 110.

The lift plate 216 of FIG. 2 includes at least one pair of contact arms 220. The contact arms 220 may be positioned so as to contact the spring arms 206. The contact arms 220 may be angled or curved upward and inward toward a center of the interior of the housing 110.

The travel plate 218 as illustrated in FIG. 2 includes downward extending side plates 222 with angled slots 224 in the plates 222. The lift plate 216 may be mounted in the travel plate 218 via pins 226 that are received in the angled slots 224. The configuration of the lift plate 216 in the travel plate 218 allows for vertical movement of the travel plate 218 relative to the lift plate 216.

It should be noted that each tongue receiving channel 202 may be associated with a locking mechanism. When multiple locking mechanisms are present in the device, each locking mechanism operates independent of the others. Each buckle tongue 160 may be locked in place as it is received in the locking mechanism, the presence or absence of other buckle tongues having no effect on the locking mechanism. If a user is unable or chooses not to insert all present buckle tongues into the housing, those buckle tongues that the user does insert may remain secured in a locked position. Securing successive buckle tongues does not require releasing earlier secured tongues.

When a buckle tongue 160 is inserted into a tongue receiving channel 202, the tapered head 204 spreads the spring arms 206 of the spring device 208 as the midsection of the head 204 comes into contact with the locking tabs 210. As the buckle tongue 160 moves toward a fully inserted and locked position in the housing 110, the leading edge of the head 204 applies a pressure load to the leaf spring 212. The loaded leaf spring 212 therefore applies an expulsive force to the head 204 that urges the head 204 backward out of the receiving channel 202.

When the buckle tongue 160 is fully inserted into the housing 110, the locking tabs 210 are urged into the notches 214 by a restoring force from the spread-apart spring arms 206. The engagement of the locking tabs 210 with the notches 214 secures the buckle tongue 160 in a locked position in the spring device 208.

The device is shown in the locked position in FIGS. 3-5. FIG. 4 shows the lift plate 216 at a lowermost position within the housing 110. The lift plate 216 is at rest with pins 226 at or near the lower ends of the angled slots 224 in the travel plate 218. FIG. 5 shows the buckle tongue 160 is secured by the locking tabs 210 in their restraining position in the notches 214 of the spring arms 206.

Locked buckle tongues 160 may be released by actuation of the quick-release lever 120. Prior to actuation, the quick-release lever 120 rests on the upper surface of the housing 130 in the position shown in FIG. 2. The release process is initiated by a user lifting the quick-release lever 120. FIGS. 6-8 show the quick-release lever in a lifted release position.

Lifting the quick-release lever 120 to the release position causes the pivot axle 140 to rotate. A boss 410 that extends downward from the pivot axle 140 moves when the pivot axle 140 is rotated. FIG. 4 shows that the boss 410 is received in an aperture 228 in a top surface of the travel plate 218. Rotation of the pivot axle 140 through actuation of the quick-release lever 120 thereby causes the boss 410 to drive the travel plate 218 laterally.

The lateral movement of the travel plate 218 imparts upward movement to the lift plate 216. As the travel plate 218 moves laterally within the housing 110, pins 226 of the lift plate 216 are driven upward in the angled slots 224. To provide the upward movement of the lift plate 216, lateral movement of the lift plate 216 is restricted. One method of inhibiting lateral movement of the lift plate 216 is to construct the lift plate 216 with a width that is substantially equal to that of the housing 110.

As the lift plate 216 moves upward, contact arms 220 contact inner sides of spring arms 206. The curvature or angle of the contact arms 220 causes the contact arms 220 to spread the spring arms 206. FIG. 8 shows the lift plate 216 in a raised position in the travel plate 218. In this position, the contact arms 220 are in contact with and spreading spring arms 206.

When the spring arms 206 are spread sufficiently, the locking tabs 210 are released from the notches 214. When the locking tabs 210 are released, the force from loaded leaf spring 212 ejects the buckle tongue 160 outward through the tongue receiving channel 202, thereby releasing the associated safety belt.

The embodiments described herein are illustrative of the present invention. As these embodiments of the present invention are described with reference to illustrations, various modifications or adaptations of the methods and or specific structures described may become apparent to those skilled in the art in light of the descriptions and illustrations herein. All such modifications, adaptations, or variations that rely upon the teachings of the present invention, and through which these teachings have advanced the art, are considered to be within the spirit and scope of the present invention. Hence, these descriptions and drawings should not be considered in a limiting sense, as it is understood that the present invention is in no way limited to only the embodiments illustrated. 

1. A safety belt securing device, the device comprising: a housing with a tongue receiving channel that receives a tongue of a safety belt; a locking mechanism that retains the tongue of the safety belt in the housing when the locking mechanism is in a secured position; and a release mechanism that moves the locking mechanism from the secured position to a released position when actuated.
 2. The safety belt securing device of claim 1, wherein the locking mechanism includes a spring device.
 3. The safety belt securing device of claim 2, wherein the spring device includes a pair of spring arms that are spread by a tapered head of the tongue of the safety belt when the tapered head is inserted into the tongue receiving channel.
 4. The safety belt securing device of claim 2, wherein a restorative force urges distal ends of the spring arms inward when the spring arms are spread by a tapered head of the tongue of the safety belt.
 5. The safety belt securing device of claim 2, wherein locking tabs on the spring arms are received in notches in the tongue of the safety belt when the tongue of the safety belt is fully inserted into the tongue receiving slot.
 6. The safety belt securing device of claim 2, wherein a leaf spring is loaded to apply pressure to the tongue of the safety belt when the tongue of the safety belt is fully inserted into the tongue receiving slot.
 7. The safety belt securing device of claim 1, wherein the release mechanism includes a travel plate that functions in cooperation with a lift plate.
 8. The safety belt securing device of claim 7, wherein lateral motion of the travel plate raises the lift plate.
 9. The safety belt securing device of claim 7, wherein lateral motion of the travel plate causes contact arms of the lift plate to separate spring arms of the locking mechanism.
 10. The safety belt securing device of claim 1, wherein the release mechanism is actuated by a quick-release lever mounted on an outer surface of the housing, the quick-release lever imparting lateral motion to a travel plate of the release mechanism.
 11. A safety belt securing device, the device comprising: a housing with at least one tongue receiving channel for receiving a tongue of a safety belt; a locking mechanism corresponding to each tongue receiving channel, the locking mechanism retaining the tongue of the safety belt in the housing when the locking mechanism is in a secured position, each locking mechanism functioning independently of other locking mechanisms present in the device; and a release mechanism that simultaneously moves all locking mechanisms from the secured position to a released position when actuated.
 12. The safety belt securing device of claim 11, wherein the locking mechanism includes a spring device.
 13. The safety belt securing device of claim 12, wherein the spring device includes a pair of spring arms spread by a tapered head of the tongue of the safety belt when the tapered head is inserted into the tongue receiving channel.
 14. The safety belt securing device of claim 12, wherein a restorative force urges distal ends of spring arms inward when the spring arms are spread by a tapered head of the tongue of the safety belt.
 15. The safety belt securing device of claim 12, wherein locking tabs on the spring arms are received in notches in the tongue of the safety belt when the tongue of the safety belt is fully inserted into the tongue receiving slot.
 16. The safety belt securing device of claim 12, wherein a leaf spring is loaded to apply pressure to the tongue of the safety belt when the tongue of the safety belt is fully inserted into the tongue receiving slot.
 17. The safety belt securing device of claim 11, wherein the release mechanism includes a travel plate that functions in cooperation with a lift plate.
 18. The safety belt securing device of claim 11, wherein lateral motion of the travel plate raises the lift plate.
 19. The safety belt securing device of claim 11, wherein motion of the travel plate causes contact arms of the lift plate to separate spring arms of the locking mechanism.
 20. The safety belt securing device of claim 11, wherein the release mechanism is actuated by a quick-release lever mounted on an outer surface of the housing, the quick-release lever imparting lateral motion to a travel plate of the release mechanism. 